I work at Wal-Mart. Perfumes bother me greatly. Stress also. Smoke does as well. We have a lower type of management called CSMs. At times, we are soo busy that I cannot get a hold of anyone. I work in the Garden Center as a Cashier. Who should I tell beside our wellbeing officer.

As far as symptoms, I get a pulse of pain in my chest followed by shortness of breath, Weakness, and coughing.

I'll start with a few questions. Do you have a nebulizer to use? How did you make it working in the garden center this summer? That would have killed me, seriously. Does lifting bother you? Were you working at Wal-Mart before you had asthma? If so, I would have your doctor write a letter or even write out on a prescription pad what you can and can not do, what your limitations are. Because of the American Disability Act, they have to place you in a job where you can function without damaging your health.

I was working as a secretary at a local university before I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2006. In the summer they started cutting the air condition off several times during the day to save money. There was no way I would work in an office with no air condition. I had a couple of asthma attacks. My doctor wrote them a letter that I had to have air conditioning. They started trying to find an office with air conditioning to relocate me, but you see, they were doing this campus wide, well, guess what, they turned the air conditioning back on in my building and it stayed on. They are aware of ADA.

You may have a bit of a battle on your hands with Wal-Mart because they are so big they think they can get by with anything. But, please remember you have your rights. Please don't let them bully you. Start out talking to them nicely and see how it goes, then get that letter from your doctor and remind them of the ADA. They will certainly understand that. Asthma can be deadly. Please keep us posted and if you need any more help, let us know.

I survived the summer. I have periods where I do not feel well. I am terrified to call in sick because I will be terminated. I am now getting over a bad sinus infection. Lifting bothers me greatly. I was outside during a day with bad air quality. My Chest was really bad. I do not use a nebulizer. Our wellbeing officer has stopped me from doing any cart pushing or Loading of Mulch or stones over three. This past week I had an attack because of the Black Friday Pressure from customers. I have had Constant Bronchitis over the years. I have been wheezing and making Whistling sounds with my lungs.

If I come down with a cold or flu, I am calling in sick...Right.

I am glad someone cares...I am worried. What should I ask my doctor about a nebulizer?

I think you might want to tell your doctor all the problems you have been having and see if he wants to order a nebulizer for you. A nebulizer treatment gets down much deeper in your lungs than an inhaler ever can. They now make portable ones that cost around $100. You can even use it in your car, it plugs into the cigarette lighter. Having this smaller one that I can use anywhere has given me a much more secure feeling. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like to me you need a nebulizer.

I use Xopenex in my nebulizer and they have now started making it as an inhaler. Oh my gosh, I've gotten out in the cold several times this week and started coughing and wheezing and would have normally have had to have gone to my car to do a nebulizer treatment, didn't have to do it. I was in Walgreen the other day and started coughing and wheezing and couldn't stop. A young girl who worked there came up to me and asked if she could get me a bottle of cold water, I told her that would help, that I had asthma. She told me she knew I did, because she also did. She brought me the bottle of water and then asked me if I had an inhaler with me and I used my new Xopenex inhaler and I was calmed down in no time. She was my angel looking out for me that day. I don't know if you have noticed, but when my breathing is not working right, neither is my brain.

As for Wal-Mart, I think you are going to have to have your doctor write them a letter stating what your limitations are and that you may have some absences due to the severity of your asthma, which is out of your control. Whatever you do, don't let them upset you to the point where you just quit. Get a doctor's excuse to take some time off before it gets to that point. I'm hoping not, but it could get to the point that you end up on disability at Wal-Mart's expense, so keep your cool. I know that's hard to do when you feel like crap and I also know employers are not very nice to you when you miss work. There's also something called FMLA, Family Medical Leave Act which allows you to take up to six months off work, without pay. You have to apply for it and your doctor has to fill out forms documenting your illness. You don't have to ask for the entire six months off. You can ask for two weeks, a month or whatever you think you need. I'm just trying to let you know what your options are.

The reason I asked you about lifting was because I didn't figure you were able to lift very much. If your asthma is very severe, you just don't have the lung capacity to do so, believe me I know.